The Phenomenon of the Doppelgänger in Maurice Edelman’s The Fratricides (1963)
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Date
2025
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi Ouzou
Abstract
This thesis examines the psychological and ethical aspects of Dr. Hassid, the
protagonist of Maurice Edelman‘s The Fratricides, during the Algerian War of Independence
(1954-1962). At the beginning, Hassid shows a divided self that is torn between his identity as
a French Algerian citizen, on the one hand, and his roots as a Jew, on the other side. He is a
doctor committed to care yet trapped within a society that punishes compassion when it
crosses political lines. It examines this internal division through the concept of the
doppelgänger, not as a supernatural double, but as a metaphor for his fractured self. His quiet
gestures, his hesitation, and even his attachment to classical music all reflect a struggle
between moral conscience and political fear. At this early stage, Hassid avoids full
engagement, remaining cautious, perhaps even passive, as he tries to survive in a polarized
world. However, as the plot advances, a notable transformation happens, and the
doppelgänger character starts to disappear eventually. Hassid starts to change from his
symbolic and passive resistance to an active one. He treats wounded FLN members without
fear despite mounting threats. This choice, to stand by the oppressed, helps to solve his
internal split. Through his direct involvement with the struggle and facing the threats of the
OAS organization, Hassid is now someone who refuses to betray his ethical and human
principles, even at the cost of his life. Ultimately, this study concluded that the doppelgänger
metaphor dissolved by the end of the novel, not because the conflict disappears, but because
Hassid had made a choice. In tracing this transformation, the paper highlighted how Edelman
uses fiction to show that resistance can take many forms through Vardoulakis‘s theory of the
Doppelgänger.
Description
52p. ; (+CD-Rom)
Keywords
The Doppelganger, The Algerian War, violence, The Fratricides, Maurice Edelman
Citation
Literature and Interdisiplinary Approches